Random Ramblings from Mom about biking, kids, and food, with the occasional sprinkling of science fiction references. It's all good!

New Book By The Yarn Harlot

March 31, 2014

by Erin B

I’m sure I have mentioned Stephanie Pearl-McPhee on the blog before. I quite like her writing. That may be a bit reserved, but she already has one internet stalker. In terms of My Favourite Authors the list currently goes:

1. Terry Pratchett – I will buy everything that man publishes, but I have to admit, I have started rationing his last couple of books. He has Alzheimer’s and is advocating for the right to die with dignity. If you are interested in starting to read PTerry, don’t begin at the beginning, I feel Colour Of Magic is the weakest book in the series. Start with Wyrd Sisters or Guards! Guards! or Moving Pictures if you like golden age of Hollywood.

2. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee

Until now The Yarn Harlot has always written about knitting. Knitting humour, but still knitting. I read her blog (all ten years of back posts) in January when the month of weather that was so bad school children were not allowed out side.*

Her latest book is not about knitting. She mentions knitting, but it isn’t the primary focus. A non-knitter could read this book and not feel left out of the club.

Written as a series of short essays about her life, this book has a lot I can relate to. There are stories about parenting that I manage to relate to both as a parent AND as someone who remembers being a teenager and attending gym class. There are stories about biking as a middle aged woman, about being afraid of the dentist, about writing and attending a writers’ support group. Actually, I wish that one was required reading for every high school student I know.

The one that is most resonating with me at this exact moment is called “Low Self Esteem and Other Symptoms of the Chicken Pox.” No one here has the chicken pox but after a whole week of Little Girl being… not quite her self, she crossed some line into actually being sick yesterday. I somehow turned up crabby for the world yesterday morning and still feel grumpy and irrational this morning.

But I digress. If you have kids, have been a kid, have ever felt awkward or battled with mess, this book will have to snickering along. One of my non-knitter friends, L, also bought a copy and powered through.

This may very well be the book that everyone gets for Christmas this year. I read the whole thing all in one go. I adore this book, but then I have enjoyed all of her books.

Or, for those of you who also read The Yarn Harlot blog, I enjoy her bookbookbooks.

* I don’t know how the kindergarten teacher survived a whole month of indoor recess.